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 Saturday, Barbara talked about her time at the
courthouse and explained that she became a volunteer in 2007 on her
very first day of living in Mount Pulaski. She noted that she had
come to town looking for a home and had heard good things about the
courthouse. Being a lover of history, she was immediately interested
in being a part of the Mount Pulaski legacy and its connection to
Abraham Lincoln.
When she had found her home, on her first day in town, when she went
to get her utilities all worked out, she immediately following
signed up to be a regular volunteer at the courthouse.
She worked with Kautz, who was then site director, and enjoyed
working with all the other volunteers who were involved as well.
During her time, she was instrumental in bringing special Lincoln
Birthday celebrations to the Courthouse. She started with a
suggestion that the courthouse “at least have coffee and cookies” on
that special day.
She also was instrumental in bringing the first large presentation
to the courthouse on Lincoln’s Birthday, and recalled that the first
guest speaker to do a presentation was Brian “Fox” Ellis. Stroud-Borth
said that in February of 2019 she turned in her letter of
resignation for her last day to be February 29th, 2020. In the
interim, she made plans for what would be her last official Lincoln
Birthday celebration as site director. For her it was especially
important that the speaker in 2020 be Ellis. She said that was
bringing the beginning full circle to the ending with Ellis being
the first and last speaker she personally brought to the courthouse.
Stroud-Borth remembered the many activities that she has been
involved with in conjunction with the courthouse. Presentations she
put on herself, talks she gave about her personal history and work
on a Native American Reservation. She did a program talking about
the issues of the Indian nations during the Civil War and how
Lincoln was dealing with two different struggles. Of course, both
were important in our history, but the grandeur of the Civil War
overshadowed the struggles of the Native American Tribes.
Stroud-Borth is also proud of the work she did to help promote the
courthouse during the annual fall festivals, and said that she
strove to bring 1800s style crafters and artisans to the courthouse
lawn to give guests at the fall festival a taste of the life and
times of local folks in the Lincoln era.
Stroud-Borth was also one of the first members of the Mount Pulaski
Courthouse Foundation and has a deep seated love for the building
she has helped care for over the last 13 years since moving to town.
She is hopeful that the Foundation will bring in all the cash that
is needed to do all the restoration work on the courthouse.
Stroud-Borth said that in her time at the courthouse, perhaps her
favorite thing, and the thing she will miss the most is the
opportunity to impress upon visitors the history that lies within
the walls of the building. For her, the experience of seeing
visitors soak in the fact that they are walking on floors (upstairs
at the courthouse) that were also walked upon by Abraham Lincoln, is
awesome.
And, now that Stroud-Borth is retiring, what are her
plans for the future? Those who know Barbara know that this is not
her first ‘retirement.’ As a pastor, Stroud-Borth has traveled a
great deal. She has ministered to a good many people and made a good
many memories.
Stroud-Borth said that she has many of those memories
packed away in boxes. Her first plan is to start going through those
boxes and putting down her memories on paper for her family, her
legacy, their heritage. She said she is looking forward to spending
time remembering and recording the best parts of her past.
She’s also looking forward to relaxing a bit, enjoying friends and
family and still being a part of the community that she has come to
love.
On Saturday, Matthew Mittelstaedt with Lincoln’s New
Salem was on hand for the reception. He is responsible for New Salem
State Park near Petersburg as well as staffing at Mount Pulaski and
Postville Courthouses.
Rene Martin (seated) of Mount Pulaski will be filling the position
of site director at Mount Pulaski for the next 60 days while
Mittelstaedt looks to find a permanent replacement for Stroud-Borth.
He noted Saturday that the ultimate goal is to hire a site director
that will be responsible for both the Mount Pulaski and Postville
Courthouses.
Other visitors on Saturday afternoon included Randy Duncan, who is a
very popular Lincoln impersonator in this area having made a number
of appearances in Mount Pulaski and also in Lincoln.
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Several Mount Pulaski residents dropped in and Stroud-Borth was also
expecting members of her family to arrive sometime during the
afternoon.
Stroud-Borth also enjoyed a lovely cake with an image of the
courthouse and words of appreciation for her time of service, as
well as some lovely floral arrangements, and of course balloons.
Since coming to Mount Pulaski, Barbara has been a genuine asset to
the courthouse and the community and leaves hard shoes to fill. We
wish her all the best.
[Nila Smith] |
